SAN ANTONIO – An innovation tested in San Antonio could mean less disruption when it comes to construction projects involving bridges.
A professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio has helped develop a new method to use carbon fiber instead of solely concrete to repair and strengthen bridges.
Many bridges were designed at a time when trucks were smaller, now they’re bigger and carrying heavy loads than ever. That extra wear and tear means more maintenance is needed. And the Texas Department of Transportation has about 55,000 bridges to inspect and maintain every two years, according to UTSA professor Wassim Ghannoum.
“Many times, if not most of the time. Replacing a bridge is not an option,” Ghannoum said. “I mean, it takes a long time. You’re disrupting traffic. It’s a mess.”
Ghannoum has spent the past 10 years researching the method. The team performed tests on the Redland Road bridge over Loop 1604.
“That was one of the big innovations, is that we anchor it correctly to the bridge,” He said. “So if you anchor it correctly and you apply it, carbon fiber is about 10 times stronger than steel.”
It’s also much less expensive, something Ghannoum said will be key, as leaders may be finally ready to tackle the nation’s infrastructure backlog.
“We really need these methods, otherwise we’ll never tackle it, infrastructure will bankrupt us, so we have to come up with quick, easy ways to do things,” he said.
The new method is being used in other parts of Texas and across the country. Ghannoum’s research was funded by TxDOT, and he recently received the highest honors in his field, the Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper from the American Concrete Institute.
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